Valutazioni termografiche in grandi felidi in cattività

Infrared thermography has been used in the biology of different animals species, both in wildlife and in zoological garden. The present study aims at verifying whether thermography can be useful and has practical application in large wild felines kept in captivity. On four pregnant females of leopard, lion, tiger and puma, thermography was performed on eyes, nose, side and breast areas. The eyes represent the area with the highest temperature, whereas other areas show similar thermal trends, but with lower temperatures, probably because of the hair’s presence or of the frequency with which animal was moistened with tongue and wet. Thermography was not affected by the environment temperature.